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poet22

poet22

USA
February 2004

DEC 28, 2004 02:44 PM

The Astronomy community, including NASA, has been frantically calculating trajectories for Asteroid 2004 MN4 since a couple days before Christmas. As they observed its orbit they found it was within probability it could strike the earth in 2029. The data got more and more scary for a few days as they gathered more.

Dec. 23 . . . .1 in 233 . . . hmm...
Dec. 24 . . . . 1 in 62 . . . . .uh oh...
Dec. 25 . . . . 1 in 40 . . . . . .eeek!
Dec. 27 . . . . 1 in 37 . . . . . . .make it stop!
Dec. 28 . . . . 1 in 26,000 . . . . .WOOHOO!

So on Dec. 27 they calculated in 2029 we would have a better chance of getting hit by a 400 meter radius Asteroid than winning a scratch off lottery ticket. On Dec 28 they found valid data from archieved photos dating back to March 2004 that helped correct our previous calculations.

Jeff Larsen and Anne Descour of the Spacewatch Observatory near Tucson, Arizona, were able to detect and measure very faint images of asteroid 2004 MN4 on archival images dating to 15 March 2004. These observations extended the observed time interval for this asteroid by three months allowing an improvement in its orbit so that an Earth impact on 13 April 2029 can now be ruled out.

So we can rest easy now that our rocket scientists are confident it will not strike the earth. They are also confident it will pass within a closer distance than the moon! Talk about a close call!!

Mike11

Mike11

Titusville, FL
OLD SKOOL
PogMoThoin

PogMoThoin

Jamaica, NY
January 2004

DEC 28, 2004 02:56 PM

I wonder if it would have any gravitational effect... probably too small.

daveglss79828

daveglss79828

Miami, FL
January 2004

DEC 28, 2004 02:56 PM

so should we keep expecting shitty things to happen every dec 25-27 from now on? i mean earthquakes in iran, tsunamis in asia... what's next years' natural disaster?

KEITHINHELL

KEITHINHELL

Liverpool, NY
April 2003

DEC 28, 2004 03:02 PM

for a minute i thought we might have to call billy bob thornton, ben affleck,liv tyler and the guy with the cool nose to build a super spaceship and go land on this damn meteor and blow it up..

and the whole worrld would rejoice at the zero hour when they saved us

all wars would end and we would acheive global piece

and maybe just maybe i could get these fucking telemarketers to stop calling my house for 20 minutes so i can download bad porn on a dial up modem and not get kicked off just before i see the money shot!

-keith in hell

Shal

Shal

Los Angeles, CA
October 2002

DEC 28, 2004 03:04 PM




1. Newswire is separate from boards, even though threads from the newswire appear on the boards
2. This is better-written and has more info than the thread
3. This contains info that was released today
4. Asteroids are fucking cool

Sebilrazen

Sebilrazen

Minneapolis, MN
November 2004

DEC 28, 2004 03:10 PM

Shalome said:




1. Newswire is separate from boards, even though threads from the newswire appear on the boards
2. This is better-written and has more info than the thread
3. This contains info that was released today
4. Asteroids are fucking cool



Amen to that... in the frozen expanse of space I'd say they're quite frigid tongue j/k Asteroids rock. (no pun intended)

stavrogin

stavrogin

Boring, MD
November 2003

DEC 28, 2004 03:10 PM

Shalome said:




1. Newswire is separate from boards, even though threads from the newswire appear on the boards
2. This is better-written and has more info than the thread
3. This contains info that was released today
4. Asteroids are fucking cool


5. People like to find out what other people have written about something.
And most importantly:
6. Astronomers are sexy. unf!

poet22

poet22

USA
February 2004

DEC 28, 2004 03:11 PM


def a good thread

thanks mike, i hadn't seen that when i submitted. i hope added some other details... blackeyed

this was my first story posted ever!!! thanks for the positive feedback Shalome and everyone else smile

[Edited on Dec 28, 2004 6:17PM]

Sebilrazen

Sebilrazen

Minneapolis, MN
November 2004

DEC 28, 2004 03:11 PM

chameleon427 said:
I wonder if it would have any gravitational effect... probably too small.



Depending on the tides and the position of the moon it could raise or lower the tides by a millimeter or so... very negligible.

manual

manual

Canada
November 2004

DEC 28, 2004 03:13 PM

Well, I guess Bush will now have a secondary benefit to add to the marketing info of his missle defense/weaponization of space plan.

He'll declare a "war on asteroids'.

rottenart

rottenart

Norman, OK
February 2004

DEC 28, 2004 03:18 PM

manual said:
He'll declare a "war on asteroids'.



let's all remember that you heard it here...

*dunna-duh-dunna-duh-dunna-duh*

...first!

also, look into trademarking.

Lotusmonger

Lotusmonger

Chicago, IL
May 2004

DEC 28, 2004 03:30 PM

pbbt the Mayans know it's gonna hit in December 2012...

Cruelty

cruelty

Chicago, IL
June 2004

DEC 28, 2004 03:33 PM

Lotusmonger said:
pbbt the Mayans know it's gonna hit in December 2012...




I know. Isn't that weird??? I marked my calender for that date a long time ago...

whatever

Muzencab

Muzencab

Federal Way, WA
November 2003

DEC 28, 2004 03:34 PM

Lotusmonger said:
pbbt the Mayans know it's gonna hit in December 2012...



Damn beat me to the punch. The Mayan calender runs out in 2012.

*damn Charlie Gordon spelling*

[Edited on Dec 28, 2004 by Muzencab]

d20

d20

San Francisco, CA
September 2003

DEC 28, 2004 03:51 PM

chameleon427 said:
I wonder if it would have any gravitational effect... probably too small.



if you'll excuse me, i'm gonna go rent Maximum Overdrive and pray that something that wicked cool actually happens... so long as AC/DC survives to write the soundtrack.

MisterGraves

MisterGraves

Portland, OR
November 2003

DEC 28, 2004 03:53 PM

Yeah, but the Mayans themselves ran out long before 2012, so what's the point?

threejane

threejane

San Francisco, CA
November 2004

DEC 28, 2004 03:54 PM

More scientific evidence that god hates gays.

WilliamIV

WilliamIV

I'm lost
January 2004

DEC 28, 2004 04:14 PM

As everyone would have a world class piece of..... confused

KEITHINHELL said:


all wars would end and we would acheive global piece



nitpick00

nitpick00

Villas, NJ
March 2004

DEC 28, 2004 04:27 PM

Here is the link to the Minor Planet center Information on close approaches of NEAs through the year 2178.

PHA Close Approaches To the Earth

2004 MN4s 2029 Approach is Listed first.

the minimum distance in AU equals a little over 39,500 miles

[Edited on Dec 28, 2004 by nitpick]

[Edited on Dec 28, 2004 by nitpick]

Sivart

Sivart

Saskatoon, SK
June 2004

DEC 28, 2004 06:50 PM

being closer than the moon don't mean much... the moon is actually pretty far away, it's just shown as being close in most pictures because everything would wind up being really small on a piece of paper if you put it all at proper scale.

BeauBard

BeauBard

Odessa, TX
December 2003

DEC 28, 2004 07:07 PM

Well we do have the Maximum Overdrive option, but lets not forget The Night of the Comet. I know it's not a Comet, but it could happen.

Trucker_Fiction

Trucker_Fiction

Normal, IL
December 2003

DEC 28, 2004 07:19 PM

i kind of want it to collide with earth, bringing the apocalypse, just so i can say "i was there."

ninetysevencents

ninetysevencents

Rochester, NY
August 2003

DEC 28, 2004 08:47 PM

WilliamIV said:
As everyone would have a world class piece of..... confused

KEITHINHELL said:


all wars would end and we would acheive global piece






I just thought he was being greedy, looking for his own piece of the world.

jayenh

jayenh

Fairbanks, AK
March 2004

DEC 28, 2004 09:19 PM

Sivart said:
being closer than the moon don't mean much... the moon is actually pretty far away, it's just shown as being close in most pictures because everything would wind up being really small on a piece of paper if you put it all at proper scale.


It's not that far. The moon subtends an angle of .5 degrees, which isn't as much of a sliver as it sounds. It's obvious when a picture is hanging a half degree out of whack. You could drive to the moon in a year and change, if there were, you know, a road and gas stations and stuff and you had time off from work.

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